Footwear

ABSTRACT

An item of footwear comprising a sole, retention means adapted to assist in retaining the item of footwear on a foot, and conversion means adapted to allow conversion of the item of footwear between two or more styles of footwear.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to footwear. In particular, the presentinvention relates to footwear which may be readily converted betweenseveral different styles of footwear.

BACKGROUND ART

There are many situations in which a particular style of footwear maynot be suitable for use in another situation. For instance, while thongs(alternatively referred to as flip-flops) may be of great benefit forkeeping a wearer's feet cool during hot weather, a sudden or unexpectedchange in weather conditions may result in the wearer getting cold feet.In addition, while footwear such as thongs may be considered acceptableat the beach or in other casual surroundings, some restaurants, bars,nightclubs and the like may not allow entry to patrons who do not complywith certain dress codes, such as wearing closed-in shoes.

In order to avoid these situations, it would be necessary to carry aspare pair of shoes. However, this is generally not a practicalsolution. In addition, there are times when a person may not expect thatthey will require a change of footwear, and will therefore be caughtunawares if any sudden change of activities occurs.

Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide atype of footwear that could be easily and simply converted between morecasual and more formal forms of footwear in order to allow the wearer tofit in to a variety of situations without needing to change theirfootwear.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication isreferred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission thatthe publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art inAustralia or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the term “comprising” and its grammaticalequivalents shall be taken to have an inclusive meaning unless thecontext of use indicates otherwise.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide footwear which mayovercome at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages, or provide auseful or commercial choice.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided an item of footwearcomprising a sole, retention means adapted to assist in retaining theitem of footwear on a foot, and conversion means adapted to allowconversion of the item of footwear between two or more styles offootwear.

In this manner, the item of footwear can be readily converted betweenstyles of footwear as a particular situation dictates without the needfor changing pairs of footwear.

The sole may be of any suitable form and constructed from any suitablematerial, such as, but not limited to, rubber, plastic, leather or anycombination thereof. The sole may have a lower surface which, in use,may be in contact with the ground, and an upper surface which, in use,may be in contact with the user's foot.

The form of the retention means is not critical. However, the retentionmeans may suitably comprise any means for assisting in retaining theitem of footwear on a foot, such as, but not limited to, one or morelaces, buckles, ties, adhesives or any combination thereof. In somepreferred embodiments of the invention, however, the retention meanscomprises at least one strap. The at least one strap may be of anysuitable form, although in some embodiments of the present invention, asingle strap may pass over the toes or front portion of the wearer'sfoot. The strap may be adapted to connect to any suitable point on thesole of the item of footwear, such as the upper surface of the sole or aside of the sole. The strap may be of any suitable shape, and may beconstructed from any suitable material, for instance rubber, plastic,leather, cloth or webbing.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least one strap mayfurther comprise at least one post. The at least one post may be locatedsuch that, when in use, the at least one post is held between two of thewearer's toes. The at least one post may be connected to the strap atone end and, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, may beconnected to the upper surface of the sole at the opposed end.

The conversion means may comprise any suitable form. However, in apreferred embodiment of the invention, the conversion means comprisesone or more panels that may be moved between a retracted position and anextended position in order to convert the item of footwear from onestyle of footwear to another. Preferably, the one or more panels may beformed from a flexible material.

In the retracted position, the one or more panels may be folded, tucked,rolled or otherwise stored so that they do not form an active part ofthe item of footwear. The one or more panels may be stored in anysuitable location, such as wrapped around the retention means, layingflat on the upper surface of the sole under the wearer's foot or foldeddown the sides of the sole. Preferably, the one or more panels areretained in the retracted position on the item of footwear usingsuitable attachment means. The attachment means may comprise anysuitable form, such as, but not limited to, one or more press-studs,hook and loop (Velcro) patches or strips, hooks, catches, straps, zips,buckles, buttons, ties or the like or any combination thereof.

To move the one or more panels from the retracted position to theextended position, the attachment means may be released, and the one ormore panels may be moved into position. The one or more panels may beretained in position by any suitable means. However, in some preferredembodiments of the invention, the same type of attachment means to thoseused to retain the one or more panels in the retracted position may alsobe used to retain the one or more panels in the extended position.

Any suitable arrangement and number of panels may be used. However, insome embodiments of the invention, there may be provided one panel foreach side of the item of footwear, one or more panels for the front ofthe item of footwear and one panel for the heel of the item of footwear.The panels may all function independently of one another, meaning thatany combination of panels may be moved to the extended position withoutthe need for all of the panels to be extended at the same time.

The panels may be constructed from any suitable material, such as, butnot limited to, leather, fabric, webbing, canvas, rubber, plastic or anycombination thereof.

By moving a combination of panels to the extended position it may bepossible to convert the item of footwear into a large number ofdifferent styles of footwear. For instance, when all panels are in theretracted position, the item of footwear may be in the form of a thongor sandal. When only the panels at the front of the item of footwear arein the extended position, the item of footwear may be in the form of aslipper. Alternatively, when all the panels are in the extendedposition, the item of footwear may be in the form of a closed-in shoe.

In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in an item of footwear,the item of footwear comprising a sole portion and an upper portion, theupper portion and the sole portion adapted for at least temporaryconnection to one another, the upper portion consisting of a supportelement having at least a first surface and a second surface and whereinat least one of said first and second surfaces includes an upper of atleast one style of footwear.

The upper may be for any suitable style of footwear. For instance, theupper may be for a thong, slide, scuff, slipper, sandal, closed-in shoe(such as a lace-up shoe, slip-on shoe, deck shoe etc.) or the like.

The sole portion may be of any suitable form. However, it is preferredthat the sole portion comprises a lower surface and an upper surface. Inuse, the lower surface may be adapted to be in contact with the ground.In some embodiments of the invention, the lower surface of the soleportion may be provided with a tread, spikes, cleats or the like forimproving the wearer's grip on the ground.

The upper surface of the sole portion may comprise connection means forconnecting the upper portion of the item of footwear. Any suitableconnection means may be provided, such as, but not limited to, one ormore press-studs, hook and loop (Velcro) patches or strips, hooks,catches, straps, zips, buckles, buttons, ties or the like or anycombination thereof. A skilled addressee will understand that theconnection means may be located at any suitable point on the uppersurface of the sole, including at or adjacent an outer periphery of theupper surface. In some embodiments of the invention, the connectionmeans may be provided on an outer edge of the sole portion.

Alternatively, the upper surface of the sole portion may be providedwith one or more connection members in the form of, for example, seals(such as rubber or plastic seals) adapted to connect to and retain atleast a portion of the upper portion during use. Preferably, the one ormore connection members extend at least partially along the outerperiphery of the sole portion.

In some embodiments of the invention, the upper portion may be adaptedfor connection two or more sole portions. Thus, the upper portion may bedisconnected from a first sole portion and reconnected to a second soleportion. In this way, if the sole portion is, for instance, worn ordamaged, the working life of the upper portion may be extended byconnecting it to a new or undamaged sole portion.

Alternatively, different sole portions may be provided with differentfeatures. For instance, different sole portions may be provided withdifferent tread patterns, sole thickness or the like. Thus, a user maybe able to disconnect the upper portion from a first sole portion andconnect the upper portion to a second sole portion having a treadpattern that provides the user with improved grip in wet weather. Inanother embodiment of the invention (for instance, wherein the item offootwear is adapted to be used as ladies' footwear), a first soleportion may be provided with a flat heel, while a second sole portionmay be provided with a high heel, thereby allowing the user to connectthe same upper portion to two or more styles of sole portion.

In some embodiments of the invention, the upper portion may lock intoplace, for instance with an audible snap or click to inform the user towhen the upper portion and the sole portion are fully connected.

In other embodiments of the invention, the item of footwear may beprovided with a release mechanism (for instance, one or more levers,buttons or the like, or a combination thereof) to allow the user toquickly and simply disconnect the upper portion and the sole portion.

In some embodiments of the invention, the connection means or connectionmembers located on the upper surface of the sole portion connect withcomplimentary connection means or connection members located on theupper portion of the item of footwear to ensure that the connectionbetween the upper portion and the sole portion of the item of footwearis sufficient to prevent the two portions of the item of footwear frombecoming disconnected during use. Alternatively, the connection means orconnection members located on the sole portion of the item of footwearmay be adapted to connect the support element of the upper portion,thereby retaining the upper portion on the sole portion during use.

In some embodiments of the invention, at least a portion of the outerperiphery of the sole portion may be provided at a different height toat least a portion the upper surface of the sole portion. In this way,the upper surface of the sole portion may be provided with one or morerecesses. The one or more recesses may be used to house the upperprovided on one surface of the support element when the item of footwearis in use.

The support element of the upper portion of the item of footwear may beof any suitable form, and formed from any suitable material. While thesupport element could conceivably be formed from a rigid material, it isenvisaged that the support element may be formed from a material that isat least semi-flexible. Preferably, the first and second surfaces of thesupport element are provided on opposite sides of the support elementand are separated from one another by the thickness of the supportelement.

In some embodiments of the invention, the first and second surfaces ofthe support element may be of sufficient size and configuration toaccommodate a user's foot thereon. In particular, it is envisaged thatthe sole of the user's foot will, during use of the item of footwear, beat least partially in contact with either the first or second surface.

The upper may be of any suitable form. For instance, the upper may be inthe form of the upper portion of a boot, closed-in shoe (e.g. lace-upshoe, slip-on shoe or the like), slipper, thong, scuff, slide or thelike.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, both of the first and secondsurfaces of the support element are provided with uppers. In thisembodiment of the invention, it is preferred that the upper provided onthe first surface is different to that provided on the second surface ofthe support element.

In this embodiment of the invention, the upper portion of the item offootwear may be connected to the sole portion such that the firstsurface of the support element is facing upwards. A user may disconnectthe upper portion from the sole portion and turn or invert the upperportion such that the second surface of the support element is facingupwards while the first surface is facing downwards. Once in thisposition, the upper portion may be re-connected with the sole portionsuch that the user may now make use of the upper provided on the secondsurface of the support element.

In some embodiments of the invention, the upper may be provided withmeans for assisting in folding the upper prior to the upper being placedin the recess in the sole portion. The means may be of any suitabletype, although it is envisaged that the means may consist of one or morepress-studs, hook and loop (Velcro) patches or strips, hooks, catches,straps, zips, buckles, buttons, ties or the like or any combinationthereof. The aim of these means is to ensure that the upper folds neatlyand flatly for storage so that the user does not feel any bumps or lumpsunder their foot from the non-active upper.

While the upper may be constructed to be for a single type of footwearonly, it is envisaged that the upper may be provided with conversionmeans to allow the upper to be converted between two or more types offootwear.

The conversion means may comprise any suitable form. However, in apreferred embodiment of the invention, the conversion means comprisesone or more panels that may be moved between a retracted position and anextended position in order to convert the item of footwear from onestyle of footwear to another. Preferably, the one or more panels may beformed from a flexible material.

In the retracted position, the one or more panels may be folded, tucked,rolled or otherwise stored so that they do not form an active part ofthe item of footwear. The one or more panels may be stored in anysuitable location, such as wrapped around the strap of a thong, lyingflat on the surface of the support element under the wearer's foot orfolded down the sides of the sole portion. Preferably, the one or morepanels are retained in the retracted position using suitable attachmentmeans. The attachment means may comprise any suitable form, such as, butnot limited to, one or more press-studs, hook and loop (Velcro) patchesor strips, hooks, catches, straps, zips, buckles, buttons, ties or thelike or any combination thereof.

To move the one or more panels from the retracted position to theextended position, the attachment means may be released, and the one ormore panels may be moved into position. The one or more panels may betrained in position by any suitable means. However, in some preferredembodiments of the invention, the same type of attachment means to thoseused to retain the one or more panels in the retracted position may alsobe used to retain the one or more panels in the extended position.

Any suitable arrangement and number of panels may be used. However, insome embodiments of the invention, there may be provided one panel foreach side of the item of footwear, one or more panels for the front ofthe item of footwear and one panel for the heel of the item of footwear.The panels may all function independently of one another, meaning thatany combination of panels may be moved to the extended position withoutthe need for all of the panels to be extended at the same time.

The panels may be constructed from any suitable material, such as, butnot limited to, leather, fabric, webbing, canvas, rubber, plastic or anycombination thereof.

By moving a combination of panels to the extended position it may bepossible to convert the item of footwear into a large number ofdifferent styles of footwear. For instance, when all panels are in theretracted position, the item of footwear may be in the form of a thongor sandal. When only the panels at the front of the item of footwear arein the extended position, the item of footwear may be in the form of aslipper. Alternatively, when all the panels are in the extendedposition, the item of footwear may be in the form of a closed-in shoe

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to thefollowing drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a view of the item of footwear according to anembodiment of the present invention when arranged in a firstconfiguration;

FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of the item of footwear according to anembodiment of the present invention which arranged in a firstconfiguration;

FIG. 3 illustrates a view of the item of footwear according to anembodiment of the present invention when arranged in a secondconfiguration;

FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view of the item of footwear according to anembodiment of the present invention when arranged in a secondconfiguration;

FIG. 5 illustrates a view of the item of footwear according to anembodiment of the present invention when arranged in a thirdconfiguration;

FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view of the item of footwear according to anembodiment of the present invention when arranged in a thirdconfiguration;

FIG. 7 illustrates an item of footwear according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a heel region of an item offootwear according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of an item of footwear accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a sole portion of an item of footwear according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates an upper portion of an item of footwear according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates an upper portion of an item of footwear according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a heel region of an item offootwear according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of an item of footwear according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It will be appreciated that the drawings have been provided for thepurposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present inventionand that the invention should not be considered to be limited solely tothe features as shown in the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings there is illustrated an item offootwear 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention inwhich the item of footwear 10 is in the form of a thong. The item offootwear 10 comprises a sole 11 and retention means 12 in the form of astrap 13 passing over a front portion of the wearer's foot 14. Theretention means 12 further comprises a post 15 interconnecting the strap13 and the sole 11. When in use, the post 15 is located between thewearer's toes 16. This assists in ensuring that the item of footwear 10is retained on the foot 14 during use.

Conversion means in the form of panels 17 of fabric are wrapped aroundthe strap 13 when the panels 17 are in the retracted position. In theembodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, the panels 17 areretained on the strap 13 in the retracted position by use of press-studs18.

Turning now to FIG. 2 there is shown an item of footwear 10 according toone embodiment of the present invention. The item of footwear 10illustrated in FIG. 2 is in the form of a thong. The item of footwear 10comprises a sole 11 and retention means in the form of a strap 13, witha post 15 interconnecting the strap 13 and the sole 11.

The item of footwear 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises a heel panel 19,a pair of side panels 20 and a pair of front panels 21, all of which arein the retracted position. In this position the heel panel 19 and pairof side panels 20 lie flat on the sole 11 of the item of footwear 10 andare retained in place by a plurality of press-studs 22. The front panels21 are wrapped around the strap 13 in the retracted position.

The item of footwear 10 comprises a further series of press-studs 23located on the side of the sole 11 which are used to retain the frontpanels 21 in place when the front panels 21 are in the extendedposition.

In FIG. 3 there is illustrated in item of footwear 10 according to anembodiment of the present invention in which the item of footwear 10 isin the form of a slipper. In this form of the invention, the pair offront panels 21 have been disconnected from the strap (not shown) bydisconnecting press-studs 24 that held the front panels 21 in place onthe strap (not shown) in the retracted position. To retain the frontpanels 21 in the extended position illustrated in FIG. 3, thepress-studs (not shown) on the front panels 21 are connected to a seriesof press-studs (not shown) located on the side of the sole 11.

In FIG. 4 there is illustrated in item of footwear 10 according to anembodiment of the present invention in which the item of footwear 10 isin the form of a slipper. In this Figure, the front panels 21 have beendisconnected from the strap 13 and moved to the extended position. Thepress-studs (not shown) provided on the front panels 21 are connected tothe series of press-studs 23 located on the side of the sole 11 in orderto retain the front panels 21 in place in the extended position. Whenthe item of footwear 10 is in the form of a slipper as illustrated inFIG. 4, the heel panel 19 and the pair of side panels 20 are maintainedin the retracted position lying flat against the upper surface of thesole 11.

In FIG. 5 there is illustrated an item of footwear 10 according to oneembodiment of the invention in which the item of footwear 10 is in theform of a closed-in item of footwear. In the embodiment of the inventionillustrated, the front panels 21, side panels 20 and heel panel 19 haveall been moved to the extended position to form an item of footwear 10that entirely encloses the wearer's foot 14.

The front panels 21 are retained in the extended position by connectingpress-studs (not shown) provided on the front panels 21 with press-studs(not shown) located on the side of the sole 11. Similarly, the sidepanels 20 are retained in the extended position by connectingpress-studs (not shown) located on the side panels 20 with press-studs(not shown) located either on the strap (not shown) or on the frontpanels 21. The heel panel 19 is retained in the extended position byconnecting press-studs (not shown) provided on the heel panel 19 withpress-studs (not shown) located on each of the side panels 20.

Turning now to FIG. 6, there is shown an item of footwear 10 accordingto an embodiment of the invention in which the item of footwear 10 is inthe form of a closed-in item of footwear. In this embodiment of theinvention the front panels 21, side panels 20 and heel panel 19 have allbeen moved from the retracted position to the extended position. Aspreviously discussed, the front panels 21 have been disconnected fromthe strap 13 and have been brought into connection with a series ofpress-studs 23 located on the side of the sole 11 in order to retain thefront panels 21 in place in the extended position. The side panels 20have been disconnected from the press-studs 22 located on the uppersurface of the sole 11. The side panels 20 and the front panels 21 areconnected together using press-studs 25 and are retained in place duringuse.

Similarly, the heel panel 19 is connected to the side panels 20 usingpress-studs 26 to retain the heel panel 19 and side panels 20 in placeduring use.

In FIG. 7, an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown. In thisFigure, the item of footwear 30 comprises an upper portion 31 and a soleportion 32. The upper portion 31 comprises a support element (obscured)which includes an upper 33 in the form of a closed-in shoe areassociated. In this Figure, the sole portion 32 and the upper portion 31are shown in connection with one another. The connection between thesole portion 32 and the upper portion 31 is a removable connection andis achieved by providing the sole portion 32 with an connection member34 which extends along a length of the outer periphery of the soleportion 32. The connection member 34 is adapted to connect to thesupport element (obscured) of the upper portion 31, thereby retainingthe upper portion 31 in connection with the sole portion 32.

The connection between the sole portion 32 and the upper portion 31 willgenerally be sufficiently strong to prevent the sole portion 32 and theupper portion 31 from become disconnected during use. Typically, a userwill be required to manually apply a force (for instance, by pulling,pushing, twisting or the like) the sole portion 32 and the upper portion31 relative to one another in order to be able to disconnect the soleportion 32 and the upper portion 31. Such a situation is illustrated inFIG. 8.

In FIG. 8, the heel region of the item of footwear 30 may be seen. Inthis Figure, a user has partially disconnected the upper portion 31 fromthe sole portion 32. It may be seen in this Figure that the sole portion32 is provided with an connection member 34 extending partially along anouter periphery 35 of the sole portion 32. The connection member 34 isadapted to connect with the support element 36 such that the upperportion 31 is retained in connection with the sole portion 32 duringuse.

The sole portion 31 is further provided with a recess 37 such that theupper 38 located on a lower surface (obscured) of the support element 36may be housed within the sole portion 31 when not in use.

In FIG. 9, the item of footwear 30 may be seen when the upper portion 31is entirely disconnected from the sole portion 32.

FIG. 10 illustrates a closer view of the sole portion 32 in which therecess 37 provided in the sole portion 31 for housing the non-activeupper (not shown) may be clearly seen. In this embodiment of theinvention the outer periphery 35 of the sole portion 31 is located at adifferent height to the recess 37.

Turning now to FIG. 11, there is shown the upper portion 31 according toan embodiment of the present invention. In this Figure, the supportelement 36 may be clearly seen. A first surface 39 of the supportelement 36 is provided with an upper 38 in the form of a thong, whilethe second surface (obscured) is provided with an upper 33 in the styleof a closed-in shoe. Thus, by removing the upper portion 31 from thesole portion (not shown) and reversing the orientation of the supportelement 36, the item of footwear can be converted between differenttypes of footwear.

In FIG. 12, the upper 33 is shown being folded away in readiness forbeing housed within the recess (not shown) of the sole portion (notshown). It is important to ensure that the upper 33 is folded awayneatly and flatly so that the user does not feel any lumps or bumpsunder their foot from the non-active upper. Thus, to assist the user inensuring that the upper 33 is neatly folded away, the upper 33 isprovided with Velcro patches 40 adapted to ensure that the upper 33folds flat and does not move around when stored within the recess (notshown) of the sole portion (not shown).

FIG. 13 illustrates the item of footwear 30 according to an embodimentof the present invention as the upper portion 31 is connected with thesole portion 32. In this Figure, the upper 33 in the style of aclosed-in shoe has been folded away and the support element 36 isoriented such that the upper 33 is facing downwards for storage in therecess 37 of the sole portion 32.

In this Figure, the first surface 39 and the upper 38 in the form of athong are now oriented facing upwards meaning that, once the upperportion 31 is fully connected with the sole portion 32, the item offootwear 30 will be in the form of a thong.

In FIG. 14, the item of footwear 30 is shown with the upper portion 31once again connected with the sole portion 32. In this Figure, the itemof footwear 30 is now in readiness to be worn by the user as a thong.

It may be seen that the item of footwear of the present inventionprovides a number of significant advantages over the prior art in thatit allows the wearer to quickly and easily convert their item offootwear from a casual style item of footwear to a more formal styleitem of footwear, and vice versa, depending on what is required for agiven social situation or under particular weather conditions. Byproviding an item of footwear that may easily convert between differentstyles of footwear, the same pair of footwear may be used in a widevariety of applications.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention maybe susceptible to variations and modifications other than thosespecifically described. It will be understood that the present inventionencompasses all such variations and modifications that fall within itsspirit and scope.

1. An item of footwear comprising a sole portion and an upper portion,the upper portion and the sole portion adapted for at least temporaryconnection to one another, the upper portion comprising a supportelement having at least a first surface and a second surface and whereinat least one of the first and second surfaces includes an upper of atleast one style of footwear.
 2. The item of footwear according to claim1 wherein both first and second surfaces are provided with uppers. 3.The item of footwear according to claim 2 wherein the upper provided onthe first surface is different to the upper provided on the secondsurface.
 4. The item of footwear according to claim 1 wherein the firstand second surfaces are located on opposite sides of the support elementand are separated from one another by the thickness of the supportelement.
 5. The item of footwear according to claim 1 wherein the soleportion is provided with connection means adapted to connect and retainthe upper portion during use.
 6. The item of footwear according to claim5 wherein the sole portion is provided with one or more connectionmembers extending at least partially along an outer periphery of thesole portion.
 7. The item of footwear according to claim 6 wherein theone or more connection members comprise seals.
 8. The item of footwearaccording to claim 2 wherein when one surface of the support element isfacing upwards, the upper of the outer surface of the support element ishoused within a recess in the sole portion.
 9. The item of footwearaccording to claim 2 wherein the uppers are provided with conversionmeans adapted to allow conversion of the upper between two or morestyles of footwear.
 10. The item of footwear according to claim 1wherein the upper portion is adapted for connection to two or more soleportions.
 11. An item of footwear comprising a sole, retention meansadapted to assist in retaining the item of footwear on a foot, andconversion means adapted to allow conversion of the item of footwearbetween two or more styles of footwear.
 12. The item of footwearaccording to claim 11 wherein the conversion means are adapted formovement between a retracted position and an extended position.
 13. Theitem of footwear according to claim 11 wherein the conversion meanscomprises one or more panels.
 14. The item of footwear according toclaim 11 wherein the conversion means comprises a plurality of panels.15. The item of footwear according to claim 14 wherein the panels areformed from flexible material.
 16. The item of footwear according toclaim 13 wherein at least one of the panels may be moved between aretracted position and an extended position independently of theremaining panels.
 17. The item of footwear according to claim 11 whereinwhen the conversion means are in the retracted position, the conversionmeans are stored in abutment with one or more of the retention means, anupper surface of the item of footwear or one or more sides of the itemof footwear.
 18. The item of footwear according to claim 11 wherein theretention means are retained in place in an extended position and/orretracted position using attachment means.
 19. The item of footwearaccording to claim 18 wherein the attachment means comprises one or morepress-studs. hook and loop patches or strips, zips, ties or anycombination thereof.
 20. The item of footwear according to claim 11wherein the retention means is adapted to be located on a wearer's toesor a front portion of a wearer's foot.
 21. The item of footwearaccording to claim 11 wherein the retention means comprises one or morelaces, buckles, ties, adhesives, straps or any combination thereof. 22.The item of footwear according to claim 21 wherein the retention meansfurther comprises at least one post adapted for location between thewearer's toes.
 23. The item of footwear according to claim 11 whereinthe styles of footwear between which the item of footwear may beconverted include a thong, a slipper, a sandal and a closed-in shoe.